The Society for California Archaeology (SCA) presented Caltrans with its Mark Harrington Award for Conservation Archaeology at the organization’s annual meeting in Riverside on March 19. District 7 Director Mike Miles accepted the award for Caltrans from SCA President Kristina Roper.

The Harrington Award recognizes contributions to site preservation and public archaeology. Caltrans was honored for 50 years of cultural resources work. The Division of Highways, the predecessor of Caltrans, issued its first archaeological contract in 1959 to analyze a Native American site near Goleta. Since then, Caltrans has led the way in preserving and protecting cultural resources through cutting-edge archaeology, historic research, and preservation of historic buildings and structures.